Expanding cake holder



July 6, 1948. v.1. R. LATHAN ErAI.

EXPANDING CAKE HOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 28, 1947 July 6, 1948 J. R. LATHAN arm. j xrmnms cm: noun 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed A ril 28. 1947 Patented July 6, 1948 EXPANDING CAKE HOLDER James R. Lathan and Marvin H. Comer, Burlington, N. 0., asslg'nors to. Burlington Mills -(lorporation, Greensboro, N. 0.

Application April 28, 1947, Serial No. 744,480

. 9 The invention relates to an improved device for holding filament yarn in unsupported cake 40mins. (01. 242-129) the use of a gravity actuated catch drop'pin form while it is being unwound to another type of package for further processing. More particularly the invention relates to improvements in yarn cake holders of the expanding type.

The cake holder of the present invention preferably consists of two relatively movable members, one being stationary and the other movable with reference to a base plate upon which the members are mounted. The two holder members together support thereon the yarn cake and are provided with a horizontal internal coil spring tending to force the members apart, the coil spring being mounted around a movable upright centermg pin to maintain the pin in acentral position as the members are moved toward or away from each other. The movable holder members, which are preferably arcuate or semi-cylindrical in cross section, together with the base plate upon which they are carried, constitute a removable unit which is preferably rotatably mounted so as to permit turning with a circular or oscillatory motion in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. The base plate upon which the arcuate artificial filaments such as rayonand the like,

and it is the object of the present invention to improve such expanding cake holders in various respects. In certain prior art devices of this character the parts of the cake holder are automatically expanded by means of spring pressure, but are contracted by means of a foot lever or the like actuated by the operator. This necessitates the mounting of the cake holder adjacent the floor, which is frequently inconvenient for various reasons. In our improved device thefoot lever may be omitted entirely and the cake holder may accordingly be mounted, if desired, at a substantial distance from the floor.

Another characteristic feature of our device resides in the use of a sliding centering pin which, through the action of the expansion spring, remains at the center of the holder throughout the entire expanding and contracting operation.

Still another feature of the present invention resides in improved means for housing the expanding spring within the holder itself.

Another feature of the invention resides in an improved method of mounting the holder to permit rotation or oscillation thereof during the unwinding operation. v

A further ieature o; the invention resides in mounted on a base plate for holding in a compressed position the movable portion of the expansible holder while the'stockinette from the old cake is being removed and a. new cake inserted on the assembly, this catch involving a quick and easy release by a slight upward pull on the catch lever.

A furtherieature of the invention resides in the mounting of the entire assembly upon a bracket which may be easily moved to any desired position, the complete unit being free from any external controls.

A further feature of the invention resides in the improved structural details of the coil spring mounting.

The expanding cake holder is of such construction that it may be readily collapsed against the pressure of the spring by a slight inward thrust against the expanding member by means of the operators hand, and after the inward thrust a catch drop pin mounted on the bottom of the base plate is automatically forced upwardly to hold th assembly in a collapsed position for removing the old cake stockinette wrapper during the placement of a new cake on the assembly.

The invention wi1l be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description, in which are set forth by way of illustration a specific embodiment of the inventive thought.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the expanding cake holder together with associated mechanism, parts being shown in elevation; 4

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the holder taken substantially at right angles to the position shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 2 being on a somewhat smaller scale than Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, parts being shown in elevation;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the holder;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the holder shown in an expanded position as compared with that illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view with parts broken away to show the stockinette applied to the cake;.

. expanslble la'r b" ns pm upright at i slidable tube. and a w 3 other package for further The thread C passes from the cake 8 to suitable tensioning devices D and E about cake holder A is angularly and rotatably mounted with reference to a fixed member G which is secured to the frame of the machine and may be conveniently mounted about five feet from the level of the iloo The holder A comprises two parts II and I2, member ll being stationary and member I! being movable with reference thereto and also with reference to a circular base plate i3 to which the member ll may be secured, as by means or a bolt ll. Members II and I! are of arcuate and preferably semi-circular cross section, and are normally urged apart by suitable spring means to be described hereinafter.

As shown, the base plate I3 is provided with a U-shaped bracket i5 secured to and depending therefrom and having a foot lli adapted to rest upon one arm I! of an angle member whose other arm I8 is suitably secured to the frame member G. As indicated in Fig. 1, the cake holder is supported with its axis at substantially forty-five degrees to the horizontal, as represented by the top of the framemember G. As shown, the carrier is mounted for rotary or oscillatory movement about its central inclined axis through the mediumof a bolt l! which extends through an opening in the foot of the bracket it, the bolt 19 being in line with the central axis of the expanding cake holder A. The bolt I! may be provided with a spring 2| which engages a nut 22 adjustably mounted on the threaded end of the bolt. It will be apparent that the entire cake holder assembly may be readily removed from the angle member ll by simply removing the nut 22 and bolt l9, whereupon the assembly may be transferred to any other desired location, or a new cake assembly substituted therefor.-

The movable holder member I2 is mounted to slide on the base plate l3, which plate is provided witha radial slot with which coact guide flanges 3| carried by the base of the sliding holder member [2 and embracing the under side of the base plate l3 adjacent the edges of'the slot 30, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4.

Theparts II and I2 are urged apart by a spring 32 which, as shown, is completelyhoused within the cake holder A with opposite ends of the spring engaging the curved inner surfaces of members ii and l2.

As shown, the movable member I! is provided with a fixed inwardly projecting tubular member 33 within which is mounted a sleeve 34 which projects beyond the member 33 into the interior of the cake holder, the sleeve 34 being slotted at its upper portion to provide a keyway for a centering pin to be hereinafter described.

a package or roll F. The

. 4 within the sleeve 35. opposite ends of the spring 32 abutting the members II and I! or the expandable cake holder as' previously described. while an intermediate portion or the spring contacts the centering pin 35 projecting upwardly from the slidable tube 35.

. Inorder to limit the outward movement oi the member I2 of the expandable holder under the influence of the spring 32 we provide an adjustable limiting stop mechanism comprising an elongated member 4.. herein shown as mounted on the bottom of the base piate parallel to the slot ll! therein. Longitudinal adjustment or the stop member ll may be secured by the provision of slots ll in the member ll cooperating with adjustment screws 42 which extend into the base plate It. The longitudinal member 40 is provided with a finger 4! turned inwardly toward the slot 30 and coacting with a shoulder l4 formed by cutting away a part of one of the slide flanges SI of the movable member l2 oi the cake holder.

In order to hold the movable member I! in its inner or collapsed position illustrated in Fig. 3 a releasable catch drop pin mechanism is provided, the details of which are shown detached in Figs. 7 and 8 and applied to the base of the holder in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

The catch drop pin mechanism includes a catch lever 5il'pivoted near one end thereof at 5| in a slot 52 in the base plate is shown extending parallel to the slot 30- therein. The lever 50 is provided with an upstanding finger or pin 53 adapted in one position of the lever 55 to project above the level of the plate l3 into the path of the base of the movable member l2, preventing expansion under pressure of the spring 32. When the flnger 53 is retracted into the slot 52 the member l2 may then move freely outwardly under the pressure of the spring 32 until stopped by the detent 43 on the stop member 40.

The catch lever or member Sll'is adapted to be actuated by means of a weighted member 55 shown as pivoted at 56 in a bracket 51 secured to the under side of the base plate [3. Beyond the fulcrum 56 the actuating member is bifurcated at 58 and pivotally engages a pin 59 projecting downwardly from the pivoted catch member 50. The handle portion 50 of the actuating member 55 is 01 suflicient weight so that it tends to raise the latching member 50 about its pivot 51. To release the catch the handle 5|! may be pressed upward slightly, tilting the member 55 about its pivot 56, thus drawing the pin 59 downwardly and retracting the catch 53 to allow free sliding movement of the movable member l2 of the expandable holder.

Slidable within the sleeve 34 is a tubular mem- .38 secured ;to the fixed member ll of the exhoider and projecting inwardly therethe other end of the tubular member pansible from, and

llslidesiwithin the sleeve 34. The slidable tubu- "member as is preferably keyed to the horizontal rod 38 so as to maintain the centerall times. The cake holder expanding spring 32 fits over thepin 38 in the portion thereof is housed Operation To apply a. yarn cake the holder is first moved to its collapsed position. This may be accomplished by the operator applying a gentle pressure with his hand to the movable member l2 oi the holder suillcient to overcome pressure of the light spring 32, thus moving the member I! from its outer or expanded position shown in Fig. 5 to the inner or compressed position shown in Fig. 3. As soon as the base 01 the member l2 clears the catch drop pin 53 the weight of the handle is suflicient to raise the projection above the level of the base plate l3, thereby holding the parts in contracted or compressed position until positively released. The cake B may then be applied to the holder and its stockinette wrapper 10 is then adjusted thereon in the and a new cake may be applied spring 32 and the pin 36 carrying the centering cap is maintained at'the center-of the holder at all times. During the operation of the device the holder is free to turn about its central axis owing to the centered arrangement of the attaching bolt l9. Outward movement of the expansible member l2 of the holder is limited by contact of the lower flange-or slide member 3| thereof with the inwardly projecting finger 43 of the adjustable stop member 40.

The holder may then be again collapsed by applying a slight inward pressure of the hand .to the movable member l2 of the holder until the catch 53 is cleared, whereupon the catch is automatically raised and the holder is mainand adjusted, whereupon the cycle is repeated.

The invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration, but it will beobvious that numerous modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invent-ion. a g

We claim:

1. An expansible yarn cake holder having a base plate, a pair of relatively movable members mounted on the base plate and adapted to jointly support a yarn cake, one being fixed and the a other slidable, resilient means urging the slidable member outwardly, means carried by said base plate and coacting with a portion of said slidable member for limiting the outward movement of said slidable member, and means comholder meninersfmounted on sald base plate and adapted to jointly support a yarn cake thereon,

one being fixed to the base plate and the'other slidable thereon, resilient means constantly urging the slidable member outwardly, and means comprising a gravity acting pivoted catch memtained in its collapsed position, after vwhich the stockinette may be removed from the old cake ber mounted 'on said base plateadapted to retain the movable member in retracted position against the pressure of said springj until positively released. I i f Y 3. An expansibe yarn cakehplder comprising a pair of relatively movable holder members adapted to jointly-support a yarn cake, a transverse expansible spring reacting between' the inner faces of said holder members and normally urging them apart, guide members for said spring carriedby said-respective holder member s, one of said guid members comprising a pin and the other a, socket, a slidabletubular'member con'nectingfsaid guide members and an up-.

right centering pin fon the'cake carried by said 'slidable tubular member and: actuated by said.

spring, and a centering cap: carriedrby said upright pin.

4. An expansible yarn cake holder unit comprising a base plate, a stationary and a movable holder member mounted in said'base plate and cooperatingto hold a yarn cake, each member prising a pivoted catch member mounted in said base plate adapted to retain the movable member in retracted position until positively released.

-2. A multipart expansible yarn cake holder having a base plate, a pair of relatively movable being arcuate in cross section,'means tending to move said holder members-apart comprising ahorizontatcoil spring whose ends contactthe interior surfaces of said holder members. and means comprising a catch drop pin mounted in the base plate for retaining the holder in collapsed position, and means for releasing the catch droppin.

. v JAMES R. LA'I'HAN.

MARVIN H. COMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references file of this patent:.

UNITED STATES PATENTS are of record in the Number.

Name Date 2,245,937 Parker June l7, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country I I Date Sweden Aug. 21, .1934 

